Sweden orders SEK700 million Giraffe 1X surface radar

The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has awarded a SEK700 million (US$68.4 million) deal to Saab to supply the Giraffe 1X radar.

The radar will be integrated on one of Sweden’s Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) solutions over a contract period running from 2024–27. Along with the Giraffe 1X radar, the order will include associated command and control systems, as well as integration.

The radar will be installed on a Sisu GTP four-wheel-drive armoured vehicle from where it will provide commanders with air defence target data, drone detection for counter-UAS, and sense and warn capability for rockets, artillery and mortars.

Carl-Johan Bergholm, head of Saab’s business area Surveillance, said: “Our solution will contribute to strengthening Sweden’s GBAD capability and to protecting the forces with advanced capability to detect and identify threats while on the battlefield.”

According to Shephard Defence Insight, the Giraffe 1X radar was displayed by Saab for the first time at Eurosatory 2016 in Paris. The 3D Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar is fitted with a digital beam forming antenna working at X (I) band frequency and rotating at 60 rpm. The radar, which uses 12 stacked beams, can provides elevation coverage of up to 70° and weights 300kg.

The mobile, deployable or fixed asset can detect and track hundreds of targets simultaneously.

Earlier this year, Saab won a deal to provide Sweden’s defence forces with Mobile Short-Range Air Defence (MSHORAD) systems under a SEK300 million deal. MSHORAD comprises the Giraffe 1X, C2 and RBS 70 NG Remote Weapon System (RWS) and was developed to meet the requirement of moving units to identify and counter air threats.

Related Equipment in Defence Insight

MSHORAD

Giraffe 1X